4 Tips for Overcoming Your Fear of Job Searching - CareerAlley

4 Tips for Overcoming Your Fear of Job Searching - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Nobody said job searching is easy. Because of all the uncertainty, potential for rejections and stress of interviewing, job searching is a dread. Overcome your fear of job searching with the following tips: Set Short-Term, Specific Goals Your long-term goal is to find a job fits your skills and pays the bills. Focusing solely on that goal can become overwhelming and intimidating. Applying for a single position with one company involves several steps and even multiple interviews. Prevent a defeatist attitude by creating and accomplishing micro goals that help achieve your ultimate goal employment. Put your goals in writing and eliminate each as theyre completed. Alternatively, write down every detail of each day so you can review your efforts and track your progress, or lack thereof. Keep in mind, this necessitates changes. No goal is too small to work toward, including measurable goals such as: Aggressively check job boards for a few hours each day Download and check career-related apps (e.g. LinkedIn and CareerBuilder) once a day Sign up for networking events or job fairs once a week Contact an old co-worker or make one new LinkedIn contact once a week Upload your resume to a companys website or new job board once a day Contact a headhunter of HR manager once a day And remember, in the words of Bob Parsons, When youre ready to quit, youre closer than you think. The executive chairman and founder of GoDaddy.com believes in the Chinese saying, the temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed. Maximize Every Move Quantifying your goals is effective, yet make sure that every move you make is purposeful. Mindlessly applying to 50 jobs a day is probably less effective than spending the time to apply to the right job. Search for the right positions, thoroughly research the company and tailor your cover letter and resume. Set goals, but keep them realistic so that all your efforts count and youre one step closer toward employment. Write Down Daily Affirmations As a monotonous job search continues, discouragement and downtrodden feelings ensue. Unacknowledged job applications and a drawn-out interview process can lower a persons morale. Finding inspiration and writing down daily affirmations can lift spirits and keep your eyes glued to your goals. Remember that you are not your job search, and the success (or lack of) of your job search doesnt reflect your potential or capabilities. Stay positive and write down: A lesson learned from a mistake or a takeaway from a rejection Small successes, achievements or steps in the right direction that you can celebrate Admirable and worthy traits and skills, personally and professionally Support that friends and family have provided you with Separate Action From Emotion With every resume submitted and interview scheduled, youll most likely experience a range of emotions. You may excite over discovering a job opening youd love to have. Youre anxious about hearing back from their HR department. A phone interviews scheduled? Great! Nerves set in. Then you werent invited back for a second interview. You wallow in disappointment, self-pity, frustration and hopelessness. These negative feelings circle back to and confirm your fear of job searching. By disassociating emotion from the events of your job search, you can avoid thoughts, such as I give up or I am worthless. Also, accept that anxiety, stress and frustration are all part of the job searching process. Rather than fight those feelings, use them as motivation to keeping moving forward with one foot in front of the other. Book Corner: This is a great book to help you get organized in your job search [easyazon_link asin=0142000280 locale=US new_window=default nofollow=default tag=caree07-20 add_to_cart=default cloaking=default localization=default popups=default]Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity[/easyazon_link]. Not sure about the job search? This is a good book if you are thinking about starting your own business [easyazon_link asin=1599183870 locale=US new_window=default nofollow=default tag=caree07-20 add_to_cart=default cloaking=default localization=default popups=default]Start Your Own Business, Fifth Edition: The Only Start-Up Book Youll Ever Need[/easyazon_link] Byline: Nathan BrooksNathan is a freelance writer and content expert from Stockton, Calif. This is a Guest post. Also take a look at: 9 Reasons Why I Wont Hire You We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+ Job Search job title, keywords, company, location jobs by